


oh, but they're so spaced out

by cherryroad (summerstorm)



Category: High School Musical RPF
Genre: F/M, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-05-04
Updated: 2009-05-04
Packaged: 2017-10-04 13:59:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summerstorm/pseuds/cherryroad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Van gets to fly once.</p>
            </blockquote>





	oh, but they're so spaced out

Vanessa gets to fly once.

Zac and she are in Seattle with Aly Michalka, doing promo groundwork for Bandslam and appearing as guests in one of Aly &amp; AJ's concerts—Van's doing it for the advertising, and Zac's tagging along because they haven't seen much of each other in the past couple months, for one thing, and for another, because it's been raining non-stop in California for the last few days and, contrary to popular belief and comic book movies, bad weather's not exactly an ally to supervillains. Especially supervillains with henchmen who rely so heavily on electricity and are not entirely immune to it themselves.

So, rather ironically, Zac's in Seattle with Vanessa, attending an event the Michalka sisters are throwing for their charity, and that's when the hotel catches on fire.

Zac, ever the hero, wastes no time taking Vanessa into a supplies closet, private enough to get the costume out of her oversize bag and change into it without anyone noticing.

It's not like they would anyway, seeing as they're anxiously rushing out of the building, but then Zac's out, all Zeffirelli'd up, the mask and the muscles and the strength to practically carry Vanessa through the room just before the ceiling gives and falls in.

They end up near the main staircase, just a couple flights up from safety, and Zac says, "Can you find your way out?"

Vanessa tilts her head in contempt. "No," she says sarcastically.

"I'm gonna see if there are any asses to rescue out there." As an afterthought, he adds, "Or kick."

Vanessa smiles, amused, and nods for him to go.

That's when the stairs get blocked by a portion of the wall.

"Who designed this hotel?" Vanessa says to nobody, unfazed. She's surrounded by wooden planks that are, as an added extra, burning, and she's—she's completely unfazed.

She's fine. No, really. She's cool. It's like a bonfire. She can even see the stars if she looks into the hole in the ceiling just so.

She's not panicking. Zac will get back here.

But not before another wall gives in.

Vanessa looks up. She could climb up. Maybe. "Where was the emergency stairway?" she asks quietly to herself, looking around. The fire starts making crackling noises, and she wraps Zac's jacket around her bare arms.

"Zac," she starts, too quiet. She has no idea if Zac has super hearing, too. She hopes he doesn't, though it'd come in handy right now. "Zac!" she repeats, a little louder. "Zac!" she screams.

And then, through the roof, Zac flies in.

"What happened?" he says, clutching her against him, pointing his fist up like God's gonna give him the strength he needs or something.

But then he starts flying, and the people outside the hotel, so many of them wrapped up in blankets and wearing PJ's, look up and point at them. Vanessa's tempted to do a little salute, like the Queen of England, but instead she grabs harder onto Zac and, now that she's safe, acknowledges the speed of her heart and tries to will it to stop racing.

They're high enough that Vanessa can see most of Seattle, all the lights, the skyline, the ferry boats, the lit-up Space Needle. She concentrates on that instead of the fact that the fall would kill her right now, that she's flying _high_ and it's not under her control. That Zac could drop her. Maybe. He wouldn't—his grip is tight, one hand on her ass, the other easing her body into a less awkward position for both of them, something more... superhero-like.

"I feel like Superman," Zac observes, and Vanessa doesn't laugh in case it unbalances something and she falls to her death.

"So I'm your Lois Lane?" she asks, though she's pretty sure half of it stays in the depths of her throat, and she worries again that Zac may read minds or something.

"Nah," Zac says, speeding up towards the nearest building, "you're hotter than any Lois Lane I've seen," and he speeds up towards the nearest skyscraper.

They stop at the roof, where Zac carefully deposits her on the floor, feet first, while he's still suspended in the air, and she sits on the border of the room while he catches up with gravity.

He sits down next to her, wraps his arm around her shoulders. She whimpers, but she thinks he doesn't hear her.

She's not hyperventilating post-traumatically in front of Zac. She's just not.

She breathes in deep, nuzzles his costume-clad chest, takes a look back, at the flames being put out as fast as the fire squad can, and begins to calm down.

"I need to start carrying my costume myself."

Vanessa chuckles, though it comes out as a sort of breathy, nervous laugh. "You gonna get a man-purse or something?"

"Maybe," Zac says, not entirely void of seriousness. "Maybe I'll just take Rob places more often."

"I think that'd be counterproductive."

"That's also true."

They spend a few minutes like that, relaxing, or mostly Vanessa relaxing and Zac pretending she's okay for her own sake and keeping her as close as his costume will let him.

After a while, Vanessa snorts. It's unladylike, but she can't help it, and it's not like Zac ever seems to mind.

"What?" he says.

"Asses to rescue, or kick? Is that your new catchphrase?"

"I'm a superhero, I don't need a catchphrase."

"You could still have one."

"I don't need a catchphrase."

"I mean, on the other hand, it's not like your damsels in distress would be able to get past the mask and the being rescued fast enough to hear it."

"Stop it," he says, but she keeps giggling, and he keeps the comforting pressure of his hand on her arm.

"And thank God they don't hear it," she says laughing. "Just imagine the headlines. 'Zeffirelli: Hero, or Amateur Comedian'?"

"Don't compare me to that guy," Zac says seriously.

It takes Van a few seconds to realize what he means—so long she's sobered up enough from the laughter to say, "Sorry," and mean it. Zac takes this stuff seriously, like Vanessa takes other stuff seriously, like—like Ashley, or the gym. It's fair play, not mocking him for being such a geek.

Besides, Vanessa likes her geek. She likes her geek a lot.

Zac keeps looking at the starry sky.

"Zac?" Vanessa says tentatively.

"Yeah."

"I think they're gonna miss us."

"Huh?"

"Head count. We're not there."

Realization crosses Zac's face. "Oh, crap," he says, half taking off his costume and half trying to keep it on. "I hate it when this happens." He looks around. "Is there an emergency stairway 'round here?"

"How're you gonna explain how we got here?"

"Zeffirelli got us out of harm's way," Zac says, still looking deranged as he struggles to take off his last boot.

"Of course," Vanessa says, and follows.


End file.
